Minimum feeding rate of activated carbon to control dioxin emissions from a large-scale municipal solid waste incinerator.

Abstract To obtain a minimum feeding rate ( F min ) of activated carbon (AC), a series of measurements on dioxin emission concentration were carried out in a large-scale municipal solid waste incinerator. It was found that dioxin removal efficiency ( η ) increased with an increase in AC feeding concentration. This had an almost linear function to F / Q when F / Q was less than 65 mg/Nm 3 , where F was the AC feeding rate (mg/min), and Q was the volumetric flow rate of flue gas (Nm 3 /min). However, it did not seem to be affected by F / Q , when F / Q was larger than 150 mg/Nm 3 . On the basis of the experimental data obtained in this study, the removal efficiency of dioxins by the application of AC could be correlated as η (%) = 100/[1.0 + (40.2/( F / Q ) 3 )]. It is valid in appropriate conditions ( F / Q  = 10–300 mg/Nm 3 ) suggested by the study with a statistical error of ±18%. The correlation would be applied to estimate the dioxin removal efficiency ( η ) using the F / Q value. For engineering applications, the ( F / Q ) min could be solved using a graphic illustration method, by which the minimum feeding rate ( F ) was obtained if the flue gas volumetric flow rate ( Q ) was known.